Apparatus for transporting food products to a loading head

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method of transporting food products to a loading station having a cooling conveyor that selectively drops food product into a distributor. The distributor separates product into at least two lanes and drops product onto a conveyor. A balancing and diverting conveyor monitors and counts product in each lane and diverts product selectively based upon the sensed product. An orienter transfers product from a loading conveyor to a buffer conveyor. The buffer conveyor transfers product to a main conveyor which transfers product to a loading head.

CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a division of U.S. Ser. No. 12/090,698 filed Apr.30, 2008 which is the U.S. National Phase of PCT/US2006/029136 filedJul. 28, 2006 which claims the benefit of 60/596,779 filed Oct. 20,2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to an apparatus and method of transportingfood products to a loading head and more specifically to an apparatusthat processes a product without scrambling or losing its initialorientation.

Producing sausages, hot dogs, and the like via a co-extrusion systemcreates a tremendous volume of product per hour. Conveyor systems havebeen used in the past to transport food product from a cooling conveyorto a loading head. Problems exist with these current systems; forexample, the product orientation is lost or scrambled. The product mustbe re-oriented which requires additional machinery. Also, damages to theproduct can occur in this process. By handling the product real time,process parameters can be maintained more closely. Also, packagingmachinery requires time out of production for maintenance andreplacement of spools of packaging film which affects volume.Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method thataddresses these problems.

An objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method oftransporting food product to a loading head from a cooling conveyor thatis faster and more reliable.

Another objective of the invention is to provide an apparatus and methodof transporting food product to a loading head where food product isseparated into more than one lane.

A still further objective of this invention is to provide an apparatusand method that reduces the occurrence of shingles when transportingfood product.

These and other objectives will be apparent to one skilled in the artbased on the following disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An apparatus and method of transporting food products to a loading headhaving a cooling conveyor that selectively drops food product into adistributor. The distributor separates product into at least two lanesand drops product onto a conveyor. A balancing and diverting conveyormonitors and counts product in each lane and diverts product selectivelybased upon the sensed product. An orienter transfers product from aloading conveyor to a buffer conveyor. The buffer conveyor transfersproduct to a main conveyor which transfers product to a load head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus for transporting food product;

FIG. 2 is a side view of an apparatus for transporting food product;

FIG. 3 is a partial end view of a distributor;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a balancing and diverting conveyor;

FIG. 5 is an end view of a V-conveyor;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a V-conveyor;

FIG. 7 is a top view of an apparatus for transporting food product;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a loading conveyor;

FIG. 9 is a partial side view of an orienter;

FIG. 10 is a side view of a buffer conveyor; and

FIG. 11 is a side view of an aligning mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Food product 10 is delivered to the loading head 12 by a coolingconveyor 14. The cooling conveyor 14 has a plurality of elongatedbaskets 16 that extend transversely between a pair of rotating belts orchains 18. The baskets 16 are preferably about 2 meters in length andproduct 10, which is positioned end to end within the baskets 16,approximately 30 mm apart, are cooled via spray bars or the like. Thefunction of the cooling conveyor 14 is to drop the surface temperatureof the food product 10 from approximately 90° C. to about 55° C. whichis the approximate temperature of the core of the food product 10. Insome embodiments, the use of cold water spray is followed by an airknife to dry the product 10. The belts or chains 18 of the coolingconveyor 14 rotate about pulleys 20. Pivotably mounted to the shaft 22of one pulley 20 at the distribution end of the cooling conveyor is anend guide 24.

The end guide 24 pivots from a first position where product is allowedto drop from a basket 16 through an opening 26 on the lower surface of adownstream end turn 28 to a distributor, to a second position where theend turn 28 opening 26 is closed by the end guide 24. The end guide 24pivots from the first or open position to the second or closed positionwhen the loading system is not to receive product such as when a jam,malfunction, or other reason exists. When the end guide 24 pivots to thesecond position, food product 10 is diverted to a second opening 30 inthe end turn 28 where product 10 is dropped from a basket 16 to a reworkconveyor 32 via a chute or the like.

The distributor 34 receives food product 10 from the baskets 16 andseparates groups of food product 10 into at least two lanes. Thedistributor 34 operates preferably at a maximum rate of about 75 basketsper minute. A sensor 36, such as a photo eye may be positioned on thedistributor 34 to sense the distribution of food product 10. In thepreferred embodiment, the distributor 34 has a distribution gate 38positioned under the first opening of the end turn. The gate 38 isrotatably mounted to a distributor frame 40 to selectively deflect agroup of food product 10 to at least two drop gate assemblies 42positioned beneath the distribution gate 38. The drop gate assemblies 42can be of any type but preferably are V-shaped with a pair of arms 44that are rotatably mounted to the distribution frame 40 and cross tocatch and retain product. The drop gate assemblies are verticallyaligned with lanes on the balancing and diverting conveyor 46 which ispositioned below the distributor. Alternatively, the drop gates 42 areselectively opened to drop product into respective lanes on a Vee shapedconveyor 92 which preferably is operating at 1.5 m/second. To increasethe separation of the food product 10, the drop gate 42 opens at thedownstream end prior to the upstream end. The operation of thedistributor 34 preferably is driven mechanically by cams that operate inconjunction with the rotation of the cooling conveyor pulleys 20. Bydiverting groups of food products into at least two lanes, the flow ofproduct is slowed at least by half.

The Vee conveyor 92 transfers product to the lane balancing anddiverting conveyor 46 which has at least two lanes 48, 50 that transferfood product 10 to the loading station 12. A first sensor 52 ispositioned near the entry of each lane to monitor the spacing of foodproduct within and count the amount of product in each lane. If twoseparate products are shingled or overlapped, the sensor transmits asignal to a controller 54 and the controller activates a diverter 56,such as an air jet, a paddle or the like, which diverts the shingledproduct to the rework conveyor 32. The lanes have openings 58 positionedadjacent the diverters 56 which permit the transfer of product to therework conveyor 32. The rework conveyor 32 is positioned in spacedrelation below the lane balancing and diverting conveyor 46.Additionally, the sensors 52 transmit a signal to the controller 54 foreach product 10 that passes and the controller 54 compares the foodproduct count between each lane. When the count is not equal betweenlanes, the controller 54 will activate the diverters 56 to transfer thedesired number of food products 10 from one lane to the other tomaintain an equal count.

To insure that the transfer or diversion of product did not create ashingle in the lane, a second set of sensors 60 are positioneddownstream of the first diverters 56, as well as a second set ofdiverters 62 downstream of the second sensors 60. In this manner, whenthe sensor 60 detects a shingle, it transmits a signal to the controllerwhich in turn activates the second diverter 62 to transfer product to anadjacent lane. Additionally, the second sensors 60 transmit a signalregarding the number of product that pass to the controller 54. Thissignal is compared to the count signal from the first sensor 52 todetermine if a jam has occurred. If the exiting count is not within anacceptable amount of the entering count, a jam likely has occurred andthe lane balancing and diverting conveyor 46 will automatically pivotabout the axis of the head pulley 64 at the distribution end whichdirects product to the rework conveyor 32 to clear the jam. Likewise,the end guide 24 pivots to the second position to provide extraclearance to clear the jam. Since the distance between the lanes ofproduct must be increased in the proper operation of equipmentdownstream, a traveling side guide 66 will crowd over one lane ofproduct to provide the desired spacing before product leaves the lanebalancing conveyor.

Each lane of food product is then transferred to a loading conveyor 68which presents product to an orienter 70. Preferably, the loadingconveyor 68 is a cup shaped conveyor, but could be of any type. Theorienter 70 changes the direction of flow of the food product group fromtraveling from end to end to a side by side flow. The orienter 70 can beof any structure or type, but preferably is a three sided paddle havinga rotational axis in spaced parallel relation to the loading conveyor.As the orienter 70 rotates, food product 10 is swept off the loadingconveyor 68 toward a buffer conveyor 72. Optimally, the orienter 70 canprocess up to eight hot dogs per second. A photo sensor 74 mountedupstream from the orienter 70 sends a signal to the controller 54 whichactivates the orienter 70 to rotate and advance one food product to thebuffer conveyor 72. The controller 54 may be set to take every product,any product, or no product.

The buffer conveyor 72 transfers product to the main conveyor 76 of theloading system 12. Because the flow of product from the orienter 70 isintermittent, the buffer conveyor 72 is shuttled vertically toaccommodate intermittent loading and provide continuous unloading to themain conveyor 76. For example, as the buffer conveyor 72 movesdownwardly, the distance traveled on the buffer conveyor 72 increases,as it moves upwardly, the distance traveled on the buffer conveyor 72decreases, creating a desired buffer zone. Alternatively, as the bufferconveyor 72 moves downwardly, product is loaded onto the main conveyorreducing the amount of product in the buffer zone. As the bufferconveyor 72 moves upwardly the buffer conveyor fills with product addingto the amount of product in the buffer zone.

Movement of the buffer conveyor 72, in one embodiment, occurs as aresult of the differential in movement between the transfer wheel 118and the drop wheel 128. A belt extends around a plurality of pulleys,including the transfer and drop wheels creating a master/slaverelationship. Preferably, when the rotational speed of the transferwheel is greater than the drop wheel, the buffer conveyor 72, riding intracks moves upwardly. When the rotational speed of the drop wheel isgreater than the transfer wheel, the buffer conveyor moves downwardly.

Servo motors are used to drive the orienter 70 and the buffer conveyor72. Optimally, the buffer conveyor 72 holds 30 food products. Anorienter 70 and buffer conveyor 72 accommodate each lane of foodproduct. The orienter 70 is constructed to allow product to flow throughon the loading conveyor 68 without product being processed. Product thatflows through may be transferred to a second orienter 80 for processingor to a rework container or tote 82 if the buffer conveyor 72 is full orthe main conveyor 76 is stopped.

The main conveyor 76 transfers the product from the buffer conveyor 72to the loading head 84. The loading head 84 groups and transfers foodproduct into pockets on the packaging machine 86. If only one packagingmachine 86 is used in the system and it cannot receive product becauseof film changes or other reasons, the product coming from the coolingconveyor 14 must be diverted to the rework conveyor 32. If the delay isexpected to be longer than the time the product is in the ovens, thenthe extruders need to be stopped. To reduce loss the orienters 70, 80are used to process all, any, or none of the product in a lane. With asecond packaging machine 88 positioned downstream of the first packagingmachine 86 the orienters 70 on the first packaging machine 86 may beidled or partially idled allowing the second packaging machine 88 topack all or part of the product.

The rework conveyor 32 preferably operates only when product has beendiverted onto it and stops after product has cleared. At the dischargeend of the rework conveyor is a reclaim conveyor 90. The reclaimconveyor will hold rework product for a period of time that has beendetermined to be acceptable. After the time has expired, the reclaimconveyor 90 will advance product to the rework container or hopper 82.With both packaging lines in operation, an operator can shift fullpackaging responsibility to the first packaging machine 86, and canmanually transfer product from the reclaim conveyor 90 to the loadingconveyors 68 for processing by the orienters 80 to the second packagingmachine 86.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than drop product 10 from thecooling conveyor 14 to the balancing and diverting conveyor 46, product10 is dropped onto a V-conveyor 92. The V-conveyor includes a belt 93made of single or multiple pieces that extends around a drive pulley 94and a tensioning pulley 96. At least one roller 98 is positioned betweenthe drive pulley 94 and the tensioning pulley 96. The roller 98 hasradial edges 100 and a cut-out center portion 102. The belt 93 issupported on the edges 100 of the roller 98 such that the center of thebelt 93 falls within the cut-out center portion 102. When product 10 isdropped to the belt 93, the soft center of the belt 93 absorbs thebounce of the product 10 and reduces shingles. Previously, product 10would bounce on the belt 93 and overlap.

Product is transferred from the V-conveyor 92 to the balance anddiverting conveyor 46, or, to create floor space, a bridge conveyor 104is positioned between the V-conveyor 92 and the balance and divertingconveyor 46. In an exemplary embodiment of the balance and divertingconveyor 46 a nip roll 106 or similar device rotates at a greater speedthan the delivering conveyor to pull and separate product 10.

To create the desired spacing between multiple lanes 48, 50 a spreadingconveyor 108 may be used. The spreading conveyor 108 has more than onelane. One lane could be positioned at an angle to a separate lane 48from lane 50. The spreading conveyor 108 includes a belt 110 that isused in conjunction with a roller 112 to straighten product 10 when itlands crooked on the belt 110.

In an exemplary embodiment the loading conveyor 68 includes a pair ofo-rings 114 or the like that extend between a pair of pulleys.Positioned between the pulleys and adjacent the orienter 70 is anarrowing element. The narrowing element is of any shape, size andstructure that is preferably the length of a food product. In oneexample, the narrowing element includes a pair of rollers 117 with anarrowing guide 119 therebetween. The o-rings 114 are spread in spacedrelation about the pulleys and narrows at the narrowing element 116. Theeffect of the narrowing of the o-rings 114 is that product 10 is raisedor teed up at the orienter 70 so that the product 10 will more easilyand quickly come off the loading conveyor 68 when transferred to thebuffer conveyor 72. In this way, product is removed from instead ofexiting from the conveyor. Further, if product is not centered on theo-rings 114, the product will fall off onto the rework conveyor 32 orinto a rework container 82. Also, if there is a jam or malfunctiondownstream, product is diverted from the o-rings 114 to a reworkcontainer 82.

In an exemplary embodiment of the orienter 70 a transfer wheel 118 thatinterlaces with a second wheel 120 is used to transfer product 10 fromthe loading conveyor 68 to the buffer conveyor 72. The transfer wheel118 has a plurality of fingers 122 and preferably five. The fingers 122are of any size and shape but are preferably thin so that subsequentproduct 10 on the loading conveyor 68 do not hit the fingers 122. In oneexample, the fingers have a sharp point 123 that indents the product 10to stop movement along the loading conveyor 68. The shape of the fingers122 can be adjusted in relation to the rotational axis of the transferwheel 118 to change the trajectory that product 10 is swept off of theloading conveyor. The transfer wheel 118 is easily removable so thatother wheels may be installed to accommodate product 10 of differentsizes.

The second wheel 120 has a plurality of slots 124 that receive product10 from the transfer wheel 118 and in conjunction with an end guide 126trap the product 10 within the slots 124. Through cooperation with thefingers 122 of the transfer wheel 118 product is quickly trapped withinthe slots 124 eliminating the need for a guide rail. This in turnshortens transfer time and increases reliability. As the second wheel120 rotates product is transferred from a slot 124 to the bufferconveyor 72 by centrifugal force when the slot 124 is positioned beyondthe end guide 126.

If there is a jam or malfunction downstream, the transfer wheel 118 willpivot upwardly via an air cylinder so that product may flow through onthe loading conveyor 68. Also, if the transfer wheel 118 is not at itshome position (i.e., position to receive product) a signal is sent tothe controller 54 to close the end turn 24 on the cooling conveyor 14 todivert product to the rework conveyor 32.

The buffer conveyor 72 preferably rotates to transfer product over thetop and has a drop wheel 128 positioned on the opposite side of thebuffer conveyor 72 from the second wheel 120. Mounted adjacent the topof the buffer conveyor 72 is an alignment mechanism 130. The alignmentmechanism 130 has at least one drive wheel 132 that has a cam slot 134cut into the outer periphery of the wheel 132. A guide member 136extends from the drive wheel 132 and over the buffer conveyor 72. Theguide member 136 has at least one cam follower 138 that is positionedand formed to be received within the cam slot 134. Extending outwardlyfrom the guide member 136 are a pair of paddles 140 that are separatedslightly more than the length of the food product 10 and positioned toengage food product on the buffer conveyor 72. In operation as the drivewheel 132 rotates the cam follower 138 follows the shape of the cam slot134 which preferably is zigzagged shaped. As the cam follower 138follows the zigzag path of the cam slot 134 the guide member 136 movesback and forth toward and away from the drive wheel 132. As the guidemember 136 moves back and forth the paddles 140 alternately engage theends of the food product 10 until the food product 10 is aligned on thebuffer conveyor.

Therefore, an apparatus and method for transporting food product hasbeen disclosed that, at the very least meets all the stated objectives.

What is claimed is:
 1. An orienter for transferring food product, comprising: a transfer wheel having a plurality of fingers, a second wheel having a plurality of slots, and the transfer wheel and second wheel positioned to interlace such that the fingers and slots cooperate to trap food product between the slots and an end guide.
 2. The orienter of claim 1 wherein the fingers on the transfer wheel have a sharp point.
 3. The orienter of claim 1 wherein the transfer wheel pivots in relation to the second wheel.
 4. The orienter of claim 1 wherein food product is transferred from a slot of the second wheel to a conveyor as the second wheel rotates beyond the end guide.
 5. The orienter of claim 1 wherein the transfer wheel changes a direction of flow of food product from an end to end flow to a side by side flow.
 6. The orienter of claim 1 wherein the transfer wheel has a rotational axis in spaced parallel relation to a conveyor such that food product is swept off a conveyor by the fingers and into the slots of the second wheel. 